Tag: dinner

We’re talking perfectly crispy potato-laced waffles topped with all your favorite Thanksgiving fixings – juicy roast turkey, sweet and tart cranberry sauce, your favorite stuffing, even gravy if you please. Basically all of the delicious things we look forward to for arguably the biggest food holiday of the year served up in one delicious dish that is perfectly acceptable for to be enjoyed as breakfast, lunch or dinner – Ultimate Turkey Day Leftover Waffles, your day has arrived!

Well, on Friday it will have arrived, but I’m planning on taking a little break from this here blog for the long weekend so we can really enjoy our time up north with our family – and introducing everyone to our newest little addition! Plus, I figured everyone would be either (a) too busy Black Friday shopping or (b) too lazy watching football on the couch to be catching up on their favorite blogs the day after Thanksgiving, hence why I’m hitting you with my new favorite Turkey Day leftovers recipe today while we’re still craving alllll those foods and wondering what we’re going to do with the monstrous amounts of leftovers.

Okay, to be honest, The Ultimate Turkey Day Leftover Waffles don’t REALLY involve that much of a recipe, because they are totally customizable to whatever types of leftovers you have on hand. The one constant that I highly recommend is the potato waffles. I adapted them from Justin Chapple’s recipe for Food & Wine and they are the perfect hybrid of a typical Belgian waffle and hashbrowns/your favorite potato latke.

Even better, they can easily be made in advance and frozen until ready to use, so if you know you’ll be low on cooking steam by Friday, whip some of these waffles up in the next couple of days so you can just pull them out and defrost them in the toaster or the oven as soon as you start craving that first hit of leftovers. I mean, I wouldn’t even blame you if you turned to these for a late-night snack on the big day itself!

After you make the waffles, you can really go in whichever direction you want as far as toppings. The hubs and I had a blast doing an early Thanksgiving back in September when I was working on stockpiling content for maternity leave, and I roasted up a simple turkey breast to enjoy with this Zucchini Stuffing and some simple cranberry sauce. All of these made the perfect toppings for potato-y waffles, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish I’d made more of them to have ready to go this weekend.

Now, I kept it fairly traditional/simple with the toppings for my Ultimate Turkey Day Leftover Waffles, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to possibilities. Here are just a few of the many ways to dress these waffles up:

Gravy

Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Vegetables

All creative license is yours!

I’ll be back on Wednesday with one more fun Thanksgiving weekend cocktail to share with you all (HINT: It involves everyone’s favorite espresso drink of the season!) before I sign off for a few days, but until then I hope you get yourself in the kitchen and start prepping all the delicious components of The Ultimate Turkey Day Leftover Waffles!

Plug in a waffle iron to heat up and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients except toppings in a large mixing bowl to form the waffle batter.

Scoop batter into preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s directions (about 5-7 minutes.) Once waffle is done and golden-brown, transfer it to a rack in your preheated oven to keep warm.

I’m finally sharing his go-to curry recipe and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s not the typical Thai-style curry you order for takeout, instead it’s an Indian-Style Yellow Curry with an assortment of what we call in our household “da boys”…aka a bunch of tasty toppings that take a fairly simple, straightforward recipe completely over the top.

This Easy Indian-Style Yellow Curry is so easy, it’s almost comical how much flavor it has for so few ingredients involved. It’s totally achievable on any night of the week, and you can also easily control the spice so that even the pickiest of eaters in your household get excited about it.

Although this recipe has very few ingredients, the one that I highly recommend you pay close attention to is the type of curry powder you use. Our family favorite has always been this Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder, and I highly recommend that you invest in some yourself ASAP. Sure, you could use some other brand of curry powder, but I guarantee that this one does the trick and, trust me, my family doesn’t mess around when it comes to our go-to cooking ingredients.

Aside from the curry powder, the only ingredients you’ll need for the soup itself are coconut milk, a can of green chilies, onion, chicken and chicken broth. And, depending on how thick your coconut milk is, you may also need a “cheater’s roux” made simply of melted butter and flour.

Of course, there are also variations you can make depending on special dietary preferences. For example, use tofu and vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian, or you can also omit the green chilies if you have some in your group who are averse to a lot of spice.

And no Easy Indian-Style Yellow Curry would be complete without an entire assortment of toppings! As I mentioned, in my family we refer to these as “da boys,” but I realize that may seem just plain odd to many of you. Here are just a few suggestions of different toppings to serve with your curry:

Chopped macadamia nuts

Coconut flakes

Raisins

Mango chutney

Crispy onions

Chopped dried apricots

I can guarantee you will not go wrong with any of these, and you may even never resort to just “plain old” curry ever again.

We’re slowly getting into cooler weather here in Santa Barbara, so I’m looking forward to hunkering down with our new little one and enjoying all the comfort food dishes it’s been too hot to even think about for the past few months. This Easy Indian-Style Yellow Curry is definitely on my list of things to whip up as often as we can!

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and chilies and saute until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and begin to brown it. Sprinkle on the curry powder and continue stirring until all sides of chicken are browned and curry powder is incorporated.

Pour in chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once mixture has come to a boil, bring down to a simmer and add in the coconut milk.

At this point, you’ll have to make the call of whether you want to thicken up your curry or not. If you like it a bit creamier, whisk together the melted butter and flour in a small bowl and then stir it into the soup. If you’re happy with a thinner curry, leave it as is.

Place toppings in small bowls and set them out on the table for people to help themselves. Serve curry over cooked brown rice.

Because I’m pretty sure after eating this Avocado Pizza with Bacon, Cilantro and Lime you’re never going to want to go back to plain ol’ cheese or pepperoni again.

I mean, we all know what a bona fide hit avocado toast has become, so it would only make sense that avocado pizza follows suit. The mere fact that this recipe includes bacon means it’s perfectly acceptable for breakfast, and why not just call it a day by throwing a fried egg on top? You’re welcome for that little nugget of inspiration.

In real world news, still no sign of baby. We “lived it up” this weekend as a family of two with a visit to the Harbor & Seafood Festival, a stop at the local pumpkin patch, a movie and some dinner out. We’re trying to enjoy as much time together as we can before our little girl gets here!

On the NorCal wildfire front, I’m relieved to see that they’re getting things somewhat under control (comparatively speaking) and was uplifted to see some of my favorite local businesses reopening over the past few days. That’s not to say there’s still not a long way for Napa and Sonoma to go as far as recovery is concerned, but let’s hope the worst is behind us and things only go up from here.

As I’ve been whipping through recipe development this past week, I’ve certainly not taken it for granted. Often, when I’m pulling something out of the oven or stirring something on the stovetop, I find myself thinking about how, for my food-loving friends in Wine Country, whipping up a home-cooked meal is the last thing on their mind right now. I wish I could make a big feast and somehow get it up to them, but for now all I can do is continue to make delicious things and record them so that hopefully my friends can enjoy making some of my creations very soon.

This Avocado Pizza with Bacon, Cilantro and Lime is one I know will be a huge hit with ANYONE who is blessed with the gene that makes you love cilantro (I hear that’s a thing? Sorry to all my cilantro-haters out there.) The combination of all four flavors – avocado, bacon, cilantro and lime – complimented by my go-to overnight pizza crust recipe and just a light dusting of cheese is seriously a party in your mouth.

It seems like a bit of a cheater’s pizza, because really the only toppings you put on before baking are some olive oil, garlic and cheese, but the real flavor arrives as soon as you put on those finishing touches of creamy avocado, crispy cooked bacon, tart lime juice and fresh-chopped cilantro. And if you’re like me and are usually too lazy to reheat anything when enjoying it for leftovers, Avocado Pizza with Bacon, Cilantro and Lime is going to be your new best friend. Promise.

As I mentioned, I used my favorite from-scratch pizza dough recipe – Jim Lahey’s Overnight Pizza Dough – but you can easily use a premade dough or crust. I will say that, even though the words “overnight” and “from-scratch” may seem a bit intimidating, Jim Lahey’s recipe is SUPER easy and in my opinion well worth the little bit of extra planning it requires to mix up a batch of the dough the night before you plan on making the pizza.

I don’t know about you, but pizza is a weekly go-to dinner in our household, and having a homemade version makes it infinitely better. I love that you can add as much (or as little) of a topping as you want, and you can opt for healthier options like fresh vegetables, meats and herbs. Plus, it all comes together pretty quickly once you have your pie rolled out and ready to go in the oven!

A traditional pizza dough is dressed up with fresh avocado, crispy bacon, a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. The perfect flavor combo!

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4servings

Author: CaliGirl Cooking

Ingredients

1batchof Jim Lahey's Overnight Pizza Dough (see notes)

2tablespoonsolive oil

2clovesgarlic, peeled and minced

1 1/2cupsshredded Italian blend cheese

4piecescooked bacon, chopped

1/2of a large avocado, sliced

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2cupchopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions and roll out onto a large pizza or baking sheet dusted with cornmeal (or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brush olive oil evenly over pizza dough and sprinkle on minced garlic and cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden and the cheese has melted.

Remove pizza from oven and let cool slightly (5 minutes or so) before adding the other toppings. Sprinkle the chopped bacon evenly over the pizza, followed by the avocado. Squeeze on the lime juice and finish with the chopped cilantro.

You heard me. Today I’m bringing you the ultimate in chicken dinners, perfect for you to whip together in these first few days of fall when we’re craving comfort food but not quite ready to pull out the Crockpot. Artichoke dip lovers, you’ve been warned.

This Spinach Artichoke Dip Chicken is basically my excuse to take a favorite appetizer and turn it into a full-fledged meal. It’s high-protein and also happens to help meet your daily quota of healthy veggies. You can also easily enjoy it alone as a light meal, or if you’re a carb-lover like me you can serve it atop a bed of bowtie pasta tossed in a simple lemon, butter and pine nut sauce with even more spinach thrown in for good measure.

Have I convinced you yet that this needs to happen for dinner tonight?

What if I told you this Spinach Artichoke Dip Chicken has the revered appetizer spread both inside the chicken roll-ups AND slathered all over the top? Yea, thought that might win you over.

There are a couple of things that I absolutely love about this recipe that I just MUST bring to your attention:

First, it makes plenty of spinach-artichoke dip, so rest assured that you will have plenty to snack on while your main course is cooking or for your next Sunday football get-together. You don’t even have to bake it if you don’t want to, totally up to you!

Second, this is a “set it and forget it” meal, meaning once you’ve constructed your cute little chicken roll-ups, all that’s left to do is pop them in the oven and worry about whatever you’re going to serve with them (if anything.) That’s a functional fall meal if you ask me.

This Spinach Artichoke Dip Chicken is creamy, delicious and sure to please the pickiest of palates. In fact, I’m pretty sure any kids you have with a mind of their own about what they will and will not eat will gobble this up faster than you can say “eat your vegetables.”

I love baking sweet treats and mixing up cocktails for y’all, but as we move into comfort food season I also want to make sure you have plenty of healthier comfort food choices on hand for just any weeknight dinner. If you have anything you’d like to see me make, or any parameters for a recipe you’d like me to stick to (i.e. sheet pan dinners, Crockpot cooking, etc.) please tell me in the comments below!

I’m working hard to get a ton of stuff queued up for you guys for when I’m out on “maternity leave,” so now’s the time to put in your requests!

In the meantime, here are a few of my other “healthy” comfort food dinners that would be perfect for you to start whipping up this fall:

The classic appetizer dip is rolled inside and slathered on top of lean chicken breasts to make the perfect weeknight dinner that even the kids will love!

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4servings

Author: CaliGirl Cooking

Ingredients

8ounceslight cream cheese

1/4cupnonfat plain Greek yogurt

3clovesgarlic, peeled and minced

114-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2cupspacked fresh spinach

1/2teaspoongarlic powder

Salt and pepper

4large chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thick

Instructions

Combine cream cheese, yogurt, garlic, artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic powder in a small mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can make this up to a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator if you’d like.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold your chicken roll-ups with cooking spray. Set aside.

Spread the flattened chicken breasts out on a large cutting board and season both sides of the breasts with salt and pepper. Place a couple of tablespoons of the prepared spinach-artichoke dip on each breast, then roll up the breasts and secure with a toothpick or two (you could also wrap with kitchen twine if you’d prefer.)

Place the chicken roll-ups in the prepared baking dish and place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Remove roll-ups from oven and turn broiler on high. Spread more of the spinach-artichoke dip over top of each roll-up and return to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the spread on top is slightly browned and bubbly.

Recipe Notes

Serving suggestion: Cook up some bowtie pasta and toss it with some more fresh spinach, toasted pine nuts, butter and lemon juice. Place chicken roll-ups over top of pasta for serving.

Meeeeeee!! Let me tell you, I’m all about the quick-and-easy meals these days. By the end of a long workday, all my eight month pregnant body wants to do is kick my feet up, watch TV and get a healthy, tasty meal brought to me in my brand new Pottery Barn Kids recliner. And if anyone wants to deliver this Healthy Shrimp and Poblano “Enchilada” Quinoa Bake to our door on any night of the week, we certainly won’t be complaining 😉

While we’re still working on the whole me not having to cook a thing part, the hubs has been great at at least helping out with dinner prep for the last few weeks. He’s a master at the grill, so we’ve been making most of our protein that way and then supplementing with either an easy salad or some sort of veggie. But every once in a while we crave something just a little fancier, and this quinoa bake is just the answer!

I can’t remember how it came to me, but a few weeks ago I suddenly got the urge to make some sort of Mexican-themed dish pairing shrimp and poblano peppers. I thought about it for a while, and wavered between making ACTUAL enchiladas, nachos or tacos. But then I thought about how NOT to complicate my life and instead make something that was (a) healthy and that (b) I could easily throw together and just pop in the oven. With the extra pop of protein it provides, a quinoa bake seemed like the perfect way to get the flavor combinations I was craving while also having a filling, delicious meal on hand in the refrigerator to heat up at a moment’s notice.

To be fair, if you count cooking the quinoa and making the cashew cream, this may not be considered a “one-pan dinner.” But, let’s be real, you really should have some cooked quinoa on hand at all times (meal prep Sunday anyone?) and if you haven’t yet tried your hand at cashew cream you are truly missing out on life. I’ve basically started using it in every recipe where I’m craving a creamy sauce and it is soooooo good you don’t even miss the cream. (See these Healthier Chicken Pot Pie Pockets, this Healthy (Vegan) Green Bean Casserole and this Curry Gnocchi with White Lamb Bolognese, for example.)

So here’s the scoop on how to make this life-changing Healthy Shrimp and Poblano “Enchilada” Quinoa Bake: First, make sure you have some cooked quinoa and cashew cream on hand. I recommend cooking the quinoa using vegetable or chicken broth to add an extra punch of flavor, and I’ve included my go-to recipe for cashew cream below for your ease and convenience (save it, make it, memorize it!)

After that, it’s just a matter of tossing all the ingredients together in a bowl, transferring them to a baking dish, topping with some cheese and popping the whole thing in the oven! The greatest thing about this Healthy Shrimp and Poblano “Enchilada” Quinoa Bake? It’s ready to devour in just 15 minutes!! Now that’s the perfect dinner if I ever saw one.

And, although the hubs and I EASILY polished off at least half of the bake in one sitting, I also love the fact that it reheats beautifully, which means this preggo mama can have a delicious, healthy, protein-packed meal or snack at a moment’s notice.

What do you think? Have I convinced you yet? I double dare you to give it a shot this week. And, as always, be sure to tag @caligirlcooking in any of your creations so I can share them all over social media! Xo

Soak cashews in water overnight at least one night before you plan to make the quinoa bake. The next morning, drain the cashews and add them to a blender with the rest of the cashew cream ingredients. Puree until a smooth cream forms and set aside.

You can also prepare the quinoa one day (or more) in advance of making the dish. Simply add the quinoa and vegetable stock to a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the quinoa.

Once you have the cashew cream and quinoa prepped, the rest of the meal will come together in a flash. Using a gas grill or stovetop, hold each pepper with a pair of metal tongs and place over a medium flame until the skin is nicely charred. Remove from heat and destem and chop into bite-size pieces once cool enough to touch. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, ¼ teaspoon salt and dash of pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and get out a 3-quart baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the shrimp with the prepared seasoning blend, then add the cooked quinoa, charred peppers, garlic, onion and tomatoes. Finally, add the entire batch of cashew cream you prepared in advance. Stir to combine.

Transfer quinoa mixture to the 3-quart baking dish and top with shredded Jack cheese. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.

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Hi, I'm Robin! I'm a busy mom and entrepreneur who loves sharing ways you can prepare (mostly) healthy recipes for the entire family with minimal mess in the kitchen. I look forward to getting to know you and teaching you my time-saving tricks!